Avdo Palić
Encyclopedia
Avdo Palić was a Bosnian
military officer during the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina
. Palić held the rank of colonel
in the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina
(ARBiH) and commanded the Bosnian government
forces in the enclave of Žepa
during the entire 40-month long siege.
On July 27, 1995, Avdo Palić disappeared after he went to a meeting with UNPROFOR and Army of Republika Srpska
(VRS). He was last seen alive in a prison in Bijeljina
in September 1995 after which his fate remained a mystery for 14 years. On August 5, 2009, it was announced that his remains had been found back in November 2001 but were not positively identified using DNA profiling until July 2009.
in north-eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina
, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
, in to a Bosniak
family. Prior to the war he served in the Yugoslav People's Army
(JNA) as a reserve artillery officer and was a graduate of the Yugoslav military academy and the University of Sarajevo
. He made his living as an engineer and high school teacher in Vlasenica
.
On June 4, 1992, a 40-vehicle convoy of JNA troops was sent from Pale
to occupy Žepa. As it passed through a canyon on the way to the town it was ambushed by Palić and his men. The defenders of Žepa were not adequately armed and equipped to stop the convoy so they also dislodged boulders and rolled logs down into the canyon in effort to stop the attack. Forty-five JNA soldiers were killed and another 31 were captured. All of the captured Serb soldiers were later exchanged for food. Following that unsuccessful attempt to occupy Žepa the Serbs laid siege for the next three years.
The Žepa enclave was in a remote, mountainous and heavily forested area and was completely surrounded by the Republika Srpska
rebel army which regularly and indiscriminately shelled the enclave. Žepa was entirely dependent on outside supplies of food and medicine which were supposed to be delivered by the Ukrainian
UNPROFOR peacekeepers, but the deliveries were consistently obstructed by the Serbs. Nevertheless the defenders of Žepa were able to hold out in spite of a severe lack of weapons and ammunition. Nearly all of their weapons were captured from the enemy or were smuggled in on foot or by helicopter from the Bosnian government controlled areas.
On May 6, 1993, the United Nations Security Council
passed Resolution
824. The resolution declared six areas in Bosnia and Herzegovina including Žepa, as “safe areas” and declared that they “should be free from armed attacks and any other hostile act”. After the passage of the resolution the Žepa enclave was demilitarized and a contingent of UNPROFOR troops from Ukraine
was stationed there. The ARBiH forces turned over most of their weapons to the UNPROFOR in exchange for UN guarantees to protect the enclave in the event of an attack. However the resolutions didn't change the dire humanitarian situation and the shelling as well as other offensive actions against Žepa continued.
In early 1995 the Serbs stepped up military operations against the eastern Bosnian enclaves of Srebrenica
and Žepa. In March 1995 the President of Republika Srpska, Radovan Karadžić
, issued a directive concerning the long-term strategy of the VRS forces in the region. The directive, known as Directive 7, specified that the Serb forces were to "complete the physical separation of Srebrenica from Žepa as soon as possible, preventing even communication between individuals in the two enclaves. By planned and well-thought out combat operations, create an unbearable situation of total insecurity with no hope of further survival or life for the inhabitants of Srebrenica."
Between July 6–11, 1995 the Serbs overran the enclave of Srebrenica and committed the notorious Srebrenica massacre
, summarily executing thousands of Bosnian prisoners of war and male civilians. Following that, they turned their sights on Žepa. Knowing that his men were outnumbered, outgunned and low on ammunition, Col. Palić sought to negotiate a withdrawal and spare the 3,000 people in Žepa the fate of the massacre victims in Srebrenica. He first escorted his family to safety and returned to Žepa to secure safe passage for everybody else. While he negotiated his men hid in the forests around Žepa and began to make their way to areas such as Tuzla
, Goražde
and other Bosnian government controlled areas. By engaging in negotiation he was able to give the people of Žepa time to escape and another massacre was avoided. During his meetings with Serb officers he was supposedly under the protection of the UN.
, the chief commander of the Bosnian Serb army. At the meeting he was seized by the Serbs. Abdurahman Malkić and Sado Ramić, two Bosniak prisoners from Srebrenica confirmed that they were held at the same prison as Avdo Palić in Bijeljina
until late August 1995. However, the two men were transferred to another prison and eventually released after the signing of the Dayton Accords. The Republika Srpska government has concluded that on 5 September 1995 a VRS military officer came to the prison in Bijeljina and took Palić with him, after which he was never seen again.
Since the end of the war through the day that the remains of Avdo Palić were positively identified his widow Esma campaigned to force the government of Republika Srpska to investigate the case, locate the remains and prosecute the killers. During the campaign Esma Palić has filed lawsuits in the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina
and the European Court of Human Rights
in Strassburg. She has also petitioned the Office of the High Representative in Sarajevo
. Amnesty International
and other human rights groups have also made efforts to get publicize the case. In January 2002 the government of Republika Srpska paid Esma Palic 65,000 KM
in compensation.
The remains of Avdo Palić and eight other men were found in a mass grave
near the village of Vragolovi in the municipality of Rogatica
, near Žepa in November 2001. The remains were prepared for DNA analysis in June 2002. The first attempt to match the DNA from the remains to DNA samples provided by Palić’s sister and daughters as well as samples extracted from the remains of Palić’s father who died in 1992 were unsuccessful. The reason for the failed identification was that the sample did not yield enough genetic materials for a match. Starting in November 2008 the laboratory charged with identifying the remains of people killed during the war began to reexamine all remains that had not been matched to any DNA samples provided by relatives in the database. A second analysis of Palić's remains was conducted in late July 2009 using more sophisticated methods and yielded a positive match. Since 2002, the remains had been buried in a cemetery for unidentified victims of the war in Visoko. In light of the second, positive match, Palić's body was re-exhumed on August 12, 2009, and sent for a third analysis at the request of Esma Palić.
On August 26, 2009, Avdo Palić was finally buried on the grounds of the Ali Pasha's Mosque
in Sarajevo with several thousand people in attendance.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
military officer during the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnian War
The Bosnian War or the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between April 1992 and December 1995. The war involved several sides...
. Palić held the rank of colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
in the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina was the military force of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina established by the government of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1992 following the outbreak of the Bosnian War...
(ARBiH) and commanded the Bosnian government
Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina was the direct main predecessor to the modern-day state of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
forces in the enclave of Žepa
Žepa
Žepa is a town in the east of Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina in the municipality of Rogatica. Žepa is located northeast of Rogatica itself, southwest of Srebrenica and northwest of Višegrad...
during the entire 40-month long siege.
On July 27, 1995, Avdo Palić disappeared after he went to a meeting with UNPROFOR and Army of Republika Srpska
Army of Republika Srpska
The Army of Republika Srpska ; Serbian, Bosnian, Croatian Vojska Republike Srpske ) also referred to as the Bosnian Serb Army, was the military of today's Republika Srpska which was then the "Serbian Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina", a self-proclaimed state within the internationally recognized...
(VRS). He was last seen alive in a prison in Bijeljina
Bijeljina
Bijeljina is a city and municipality in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina. The city is the second largest in the Republika Srpska entity after Banja Luka and fifth largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and is situated on the flat rich plains of Semberija...
in September 1995 after which his fate remained a mystery for 14 years. On August 5, 2009, it was announced that his remains had been found back in November 2001 but were not positively identified using DNA profiling until July 2009.
Early life
Avdo Palić was born in the village of Krivača in the municipality of Han PijesakHan Pijesak
Han Pijesak is a town and municipality of Republika Srpska entity in Bosnia and Herzegovina.-Settlements:• Babine Gornje• Berkovina• Brložnik• Džimrije• Gođenje• Han Pijesak• Japaga• Jelovci• Kraljevo Polje• Kram...
in north-eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
, in to a Bosniak
Bosniaks
The Bosniaks or Bosniacs are a South Slavic ethnic group, living mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a smaller minority also present in other lands of the Balkan Peninsula especially in Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia...
family. Prior to the war he served in the Yugoslav People's Army
Yugoslav People's Army
The Yugoslav People's Army , also referred to as the Yugoslav National Army , was the military of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.-Origins:The origins of the JNA can...
(JNA) as a reserve artillery officer and was a graduate of the Yugoslav military academy and the University of Sarajevo
University of Sarajevo
The University of Sarajevo is the first university in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was originally established in 1531 as a Madrasah or Islamic Law college, with a modern university being established and expanded on top of that in 1949. Today, with 23 faculties and around 55,000 enrolled students, it...
. He made his living as an engineer and high school teacher in Vlasenica
Vlasenica
Vlasenica is a municipality and town of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Administratively it is part of Vlasenica Region.-1912:...
.
Bosnian War
During the war Avdo Palić married Esma Palić and the couple had two daughters. Esma came to Žepa, her hometown on March 29, 1992, to visit her relatives. Her future husband joined her shortly thereafter, when he came to visit his father in Vlasenica. When the war started in early April, Vlasenica fell to the Serb forces and Palić came to Žepa, where he became the commander of the local unit of the Territorial Defence Force of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and subsequently the commander of all Bosnian government forces in the area (which would eventually became known as the ARBiH 285th Light Mountain Brigade).On June 4, 1992, a 40-vehicle convoy of JNA troops was sent from Pale
Pale (town)
Pale is a town and a municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina, located southeast of Bosnia's capital Sarajevo. The municipality of Pale is one of the six municipalities of the City of Istočno Sarajevo located in the Republika Srpska entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina.-Middle Ages:The area of Pale...
to occupy Žepa. As it passed through a canyon on the way to the town it was ambushed by Palić and his men. The defenders of Žepa were not adequately armed and equipped to stop the convoy so they also dislodged boulders and rolled logs down into the canyon in effort to stop the attack. Forty-five JNA soldiers were killed and another 31 were captured. All of the captured Serb soldiers were later exchanged for food. Following that unsuccessful attempt to occupy Žepa the Serbs laid siege for the next three years.
The Žepa enclave was in a remote, mountainous and heavily forested area and was completely surrounded by the Republika Srpska
Republika Srpska
Republika Srpska is one of two main political entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
rebel army which regularly and indiscriminately shelled the enclave. Žepa was entirely dependent on outside supplies of food and medicine which were supposed to be delivered by the Ukrainian
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
UNPROFOR peacekeepers, but the deliveries were consistently obstructed by the Serbs. Nevertheless the defenders of Žepa were able to hold out in spite of a severe lack of weapons and ammunition. Nearly all of their weapons were captured from the enemy or were smuggled in on foot or by helicopter from the Bosnian government controlled areas.
On May 6, 1993, the United Nations Security Council
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
passed Resolution
United Nations Security Council Resolution
A United Nations Security Council resolution is a UN resolution adopted by the fifteen members of the Security Council; the UN body charged with "primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security"....
824. The resolution declared six areas in Bosnia and Herzegovina including Žepa, as “safe areas” and declared that they “should be free from armed attacks and any other hostile act”. After the passage of the resolution the Žepa enclave was demilitarized and a contingent of UNPROFOR troops from Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
was stationed there. The ARBiH forces turned over most of their weapons to the UNPROFOR in exchange for UN guarantees to protect the enclave in the event of an attack. However the resolutions didn't change the dire humanitarian situation and the shelling as well as other offensive actions against Žepa continued.
In early 1995 the Serbs stepped up military operations against the eastern Bosnian enclaves of Srebrenica
Srebrenica
Srebrenica is a town and municipality in the east of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the Bosnian Serb entity of Republika Srpska. Srebrenica is a small mountain town, its main industry being salt mining and a nearby spa. During the Bosnian War, the town was the site of the July 1995 massacre,...
and Žepa. In March 1995 the President of Republika Srpska, Radovan Karadžić
Radovan Karadžic
Radovan Karadžić is a former Bosnian Serb politician. He is detained in the United Nations Detention Unit of Scheveningen, accused of war crimes committed against Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Croats during the Siege of Sarajevo, as well as ordering the Srebrenica massacre.Educated as a...
, issued a directive concerning the long-term strategy of the VRS forces in the region. The directive, known as Directive 7, specified that the Serb forces were to "complete the physical separation of Srebrenica from Žepa as soon as possible, preventing even communication between individuals in the two enclaves. By planned and well-thought out combat operations, create an unbearable situation of total insecurity with no hope of further survival or life for the inhabitants of Srebrenica."
Between July 6–11, 1995 the Serbs overran the enclave of Srebrenica and committed the notorious Srebrenica massacre
Srebrenica massacre
The Srebrenica massacre, also known as the Srebrenica genocide, refers to the July 1995 killing, during the Bosnian War, of more than 8,000 Bosniaks , mainly men and boys, in and around the town of Srebrenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina, by units of the Army of Republika Srpska under the command of...
, summarily executing thousands of Bosnian prisoners of war and male civilians. Following that, they turned their sights on Žepa. Knowing that his men were outnumbered, outgunned and low on ammunition, Col. Palić sought to negotiate a withdrawal and spare the 3,000 people in Žepa the fate of the massacre victims in Srebrenica. He first escorted his family to safety and returned to Žepa to secure safe passage for everybody else. While he negotiated his men hid in the forests around Žepa and began to make their way to areas such as Tuzla
Tuzla
Tuzla is a city and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina. At the time of the 1991 census, it had 83,770 inhabitants, while the municipality 131,318. Taking the influx of refugees into account, the city is currently estimated to have 174,558 inhabitants...
, Goražde
Goražde
Goražde , is a city and municipality in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina on the Drina river. It is located between Foča, Sokolac and Višegrad, and is administratively part of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the center of the Bosnian Podrinje Canton.-Location:Goražde is situated on the...
and other Bosnian government controlled areas. By engaging in negotiation he was able to give the people of Žepa time to escape and another massacre was avoided. During his meetings with Serb officers he was supposedly under the protection of the UN.
Death
On July 27, 1995, Palić went to a meeting with senior Serb and UN officials, among whom was General Ratko MladićRatko Mladić
Ratko Mladić is an accused war criminal and a former Bosnian Serb military leader. On May 31, 2011, Mladić was extradited to The Hague, where he was processed at the detention center that holds suspects for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia...
, the chief commander of the Bosnian Serb army. At the meeting he was seized by the Serbs. Abdurahman Malkić and Sado Ramić, two Bosniak prisoners from Srebrenica confirmed that they were held at the same prison as Avdo Palić in Bijeljina
Bijeljina
Bijeljina is a city and municipality in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina. The city is the second largest in the Republika Srpska entity after Banja Luka and fifth largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and is situated on the flat rich plains of Semberija...
until late August 1995. However, the two men were transferred to another prison and eventually released after the signing of the Dayton Accords. The Republika Srpska government has concluded that on 5 September 1995 a VRS military officer came to the prison in Bijeljina and took Palić with him, after which he was never seen again.
Since the end of the war through the day that the remains of Avdo Palić were positively identified his widow Esma campaigned to force the government of Republika Srpska to investigate the case, locate the remains and prosecute the killers. During the campaign Esma Palić has filed lawsuits in the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina is a special court sui generis, whose main role is to be the interpreter and guardian of the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as stated in Article VI, paragraph 3 of the Constitution , and it is considered to be the highest judicial...
and the European Court of Human Rights
European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg is a supra-national court established by the European Convention on Human Rights and hears complaints that a contracting state has violated the human rights enshrined in the Convention and its protocols. Complaints can be brought by individuals or...
in Strassburg. She has also petitioned the Office of the High Representative in Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
. Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
and other human rights groups have also made efforts to get publicize the case. In January 2002 the government of Republika Srpska paid Esma Palic 65,000 KM
Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark
The Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark is the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is divided into 100 fenings...
in compensation.
The remains of Avdo Palić and eight other men were found in a mass grave
Mass grave
A mass grave is a grave containing multiple number of human corpses, which may or may not be identified prior to burial. There is no strict definition of the minimum number of bodies required to constitute a mass grave, although the United Nations defines a mass grave as a burial site which...
near the village of Vragolovi in the municipality of Rogatica
Rogatica
Rogatica is a municipality and town in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina located 60 kilometres northeast of Sarajevo; midway on the road from Goražde towards Sokolac...
, near Žepa in November 2001. The remains were prepared for DNA analysis in June 2002. The first attempt to match the DNA from the remains to DNA samples provided by Palić’s sister and daughters as well as samples extracted from the remains of Palić’s father who died in 1992 were unsuccessful. The reason for the failed identification was that the sample did not yield enough genetic materials for a match. Starting in November 2008 the laboratory charged with identifying the remains of people killed during the war began to reexamine all remains that had not been matched to any DNA samples provided by relatives in the database. A second analysis of Palić's remains was conducted in late July 2009 using more sophisticated methods and yielded a positive match. Since 2002, the remains had been buried in a cemetery for unidentified victims of the war in Visoko. In light of the second, positive match, Palić's body was re-exhumed on August 12, 2009, and sent for a third analysis at the request of Esma Palić.
On August 26, 2009, Avdo Palić was finally buried on the grounds of the Ali Pasha's Mosque
Ali Pasha's Mosque
Ali Pasha's Mosque was constructed in Sarajevo during 1560-61 as a vakuf of Hadim Ali-pasha, the former Ottoman governor of the Budapest administrative district and the Bosnia Pashaluk. The mosque was built according to the classical Istanbul architectural style...
in Sarajevo with several thousand people in attendance.